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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Because I love all things radical...


...I immediately thought: "I MUST read this!" After reading an excerpt from Carolyn McCulley's new book; "Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World," I was very much inspired about my role as a Christian wife and mother in today's society. I visited her blog and it also seems to be wellspring of inspiring support for a gal like me, always on the prowl for more info on virtuous living! Below is a small portion of the excerpt I read at www.boundless.org.

"...Ever since, Satan has labored to destroy the offspring of those who are made in the image of God. The real mommy wars are not against flesh and blood — other mothers and their parenting methods — but against the one who seeks to destroy the next generation of those who would rise up to praise God. We can debate all kinds of parenting philosophies, methods, and practices, but the real conflict is not with the proponents of opposite ideas. Most assuredly, there is a war and the price is high. Mothers (and fathers) are called to be strong warriors in this battle. But, as we've explored before in this book, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our true opponents are not flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces of evil in this present darkness...

You may be a mother and in the thick of rearing children right now. Perhaps it took you many weeks to read this chapter, thanks to the constant interruptions of young children. Your daily life may consist of dozens of repetitive tasks that feel so mundane and irrelevant. You kiss boo-boos, you make dinner, you do dishes, you answer a homework question, you drive to soccer practice, you read a good night story, you do laundry, you make dinner again. Unglamorous daily tasks and unimportant in the big picture, you may think.

This is absolutely not true! You are engaged in spiritual warfare, battling against beliefs and philosophies that slander God's name and tarnish His gifts to us. You are standing against those who believe heinous lies, like "the most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." By giving life and nurturing life, you are reflecting the life-giving characteristics of our holy God! Made in His image, you are reflecting Him when you care for the lives He has created.

I think it is very easy for mothers to lose sight of the big picture when they are consumed with the daily "ordinariness" of life. I hope that this chapter has helped you to see how relentless the assault against bearing and mothering children can be. I hope it has helped you to take the long view of what you are doing in training the next generation to be worshipers of God. None of us can make that happen — it is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in each of us — but we are called to plant and water the seeds of the gospel and wait with expectant hope that God will give the growth..."

6 comments:

  1. in the past week or so i've been thinking a lot more about L & D... i'm getting nervous! what about you? i can't believe we're almost there!

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  2. Thanks for the excerpt. I may have to pick this up.

    ~Tiffany

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  3. I can't wait to hear your respective birth stories! I love birth! I will say that I'm glad I'm not going through it again just yet, but then I just did it less than seven months ago so it's a bit soon anyway.
    I appreciate this post - the daily lives of mothers are very unglamorous and generally unappreciated, but they will pay off down the road.

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  4. ummm, i may needto get this too...very good and timely, the kids are crying now, but its ok!!

    -db

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  5. Hey db-

    They are crying, but you're still a winner!

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  6. Hello! I didn't know if you knew or not but the other of this book was on "Revive Our Hearts" last week with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I listened and I learned a lot. You can listen online at reviveourhearts.com

    :O)

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Your ideas, questions, and comments are welcome!